Hamm Fire

198739,369 acresCalifornia

The Hamm Fire burned 39,369 acres, about 62 square miles, across 2 counties. It began on August 30, 1987.

Watch how it happened

Hamm Fire · 1987

How it happened

See how severely each place burned, revealed outward from where it started.

About this replay
IgnitionAugust 30, 1987Historical replay — order not recorded
Final area39,369 ac
Revealed—
Counties2

How severely it burned

Burn severity inside the final perimeter, classified from Landsat images taken before and after the fire.

Map of burn severity across the Hamm Fire
Burn severity by class
SeverityShareAcres
Highmost vegetation consumed, soils altered25%10,005
Moderatemixed: many trees killed, some survive33%12,849
Lowsurface fire, most trees survive26%10,059
Unburned to lowislands inside the perimeter, little change16%6,345
Increased greennessvegetation greener after the fire than before0.3%111

25% of the area inside the perimeter burned at high severity, about 10,005 acres; 58% burned at moderate or high severity.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service). Classes come from the change in a Landsat burn index (dNBR) between images before and after the fire; acres are each class’s share of the fire’s mapped area.

Where it burned

Acres inside each county, measured from the satellite-mapped perimeter.

Acres burned by county
Mariposa CountyCA23,749
Tuolumne CountyCA15,582

Other large fires in California in 1987

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service). Type recorded: Wildfire.